TWS Fellows named for 2024

Ten wildlife professionals have been awarded fellowships with The Wildlife Society for 2024. The TWS Fellows awards are given each year to individuals who have “distinguished themselves through exceptional service” to the profession and have been members of the Society for at least 10 years.

The new fellows will be recognized at the 2024 Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Alan Franklin

Alan Franklin has acted as a research biologist at the USDA-APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center for 18 years, while concurrently working as a professor at Colorado State University and the University of Minnesota. His professional career in academia and wildlife research began in the mid-1980’s at Humboldt State University. In 2021, Franklin was named the Research Grade Scientist of the Year at the National Wildlife Research Center. As a member of TWS since 1989, he has served in various roles within the organization. Franklin has been a part of the Biometrics Working Group, the Wildlife Diseases Working Group, the Chairman of the Committee of Electronic Publishing, associate editor of The Journal of Wildlife Management, and a consulting editor of Wildlife Monographs.

---

Norman Budd Veverka

As the director of land management at Mianus River Gorge, Inc., Norman Budd Veverka is highly regarded as a regional expert on invasive species management and suburban American black bear management in New York. Veverka currently sits on the steering committee of the Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management and chairs their invasive species prevention zone committee. He is also a member of the Hudson to Housatonic Regional Conservation Partnership, helping to increase land protection and connectivity across the region. Prior to his career in New York, he served as a research biologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources overseeing projects related to lead shot and climate change. Veverka has been a TWS member since 2005, and was elected President of the Northeast Section in May 2023.

---

Michel Kohl

Michel Kohl is an assistant professor of wildlife management and wildlife extension specialist at the University of Georgia. He is a leading expert in the spatial ecology of wildlife, leading studies on species management and conservation across the western and southeastern United States. Since beginning his career at the University of Georgia in 2019, Kohl has lead or coauthored 21 scientific publications across a range of journals. He is passionate about mentoring the next generation of wildlife professionals, advising both graduate and undergraduate students, and has been actively involved across TWS as a mentor through the Native Student Professional Development Program. He has been a TWS member since 2008 and is the current President-elect for the Georgia Chapter.

---

Michael Gutzmer

Acting as principal for New Century Environmental LLC, Michael Gutzmer has 17 years of experience researching, monitoring and performing inventory work with invasive, threatened, and endangered species for power companies, agri-business, railroads, transportation departments and Native American Indian reservations in the Great Plains. Gutzmer has been an active scientist and liaison in TWS, the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, and the American Fisheries Society. In 2020, Gutzmer was a concept founder of the Tribal Science Areas (TSA) program, piloted for Standing Rock Indian Reservation and other Great Plains Tribes. Gutzmer is a lifetime member of the Nebraska and South Dakota TWS chapters, and currently serves on TWS’ Invasive Species, Biological Diversity, Renewable Energy, Native Peoples’ Wildlife Management and Climate Change and Wildlife working groups.  

---

Katie Moriarty

Katie Moriarty is a forest wildlife ecologist and senior research scientist at the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. She has spent much of her career studying rare species in the Pacific Northwest, and is currently conducting research on understanding and promoting the biodiversity of pollinators in forests of varying spatial scales. Since 2018, Moriarty and her colleagues have written more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and showcased their work with nearly 70 presentations at professional meetings. Moriarty has served as a TWS Board Member or officer at the Chapter and Section levels for over 15 years. As a participant in the inaugural Leadership Institute of TWS in 2006, Moriarty has consistently demonstrated a passion for mentoring early-career wildlife professionals.

---

Daniel Greene

Daniel Greene is a wildlife scientist in the southeastern United States who coordinates research and conservation projects alongside universities, agencies, and NGOs, on almost 7 million acres of working forest lands. His wildlife management and research projects have focused on the conservation of threatened and endangered species, game species, uncovering ways to control invasive species, and mitigating the impacts of climate change on wildlife and ecosystems. In addition to his work duties, Greene volunteers extensively on numerous wildlife projects, domestically and internationally in six countries. He has served on boards, committees, and working groups with TWS, the American Society of Mammalogists, Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, and more. He has been a TWS member since 2008 and currently serves as President for the Southeastern Section.

---

James (Jim) Heffelfinger

Jim Heffelfinger’s expertise and leadership as a wildlife conservationist has been sought after by numerous colleagues, policy makers, and conservation organizations. Having worked with Arizona Game and Fish Department for 32 years, currently acting as wildlife science coordinator, Heffelfinger has been recognized for his contributions to wildlife science with accolades including the Mule Deer Foundation Wildlife Professional of the Year; Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Wallmo Award and Outstanding Contributor Award; and Dallas Safari Club’s Trailblazer Award, among others. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 publications, including peer-reviewed manuscripts and several books. His book, Deer of the Southwest, is referenced by deer managers in the Southwestern United States. He has been involved with The Wildlife Society in multiple capacities since 1985.

---

Patrick Lederle

Prior to his retirement, Patrick Lederle acted as the planning and adaptation section supervisor and adjunct associate professor for the Michigan Department of National Resources and Michigan State University for over 19 years. During his career with the Michigan DNR, Lederle was a leader in strategic and land management planning, having led or contributed to a number of state forest and game management area plans and species management and research plans. He was also co-leader of the Wildlife Division’s strategic planning effort and the statewide wildlife action planning program. Lederle has been a Certified Wildlife Biologist since 1989. He has served as the president of the TWS North Central Section, and served as North Central Section Representative to Council from 2019-2022. He has been a long-time supporter of the TWS Leadership Institute and is a dedicated mentor to budding wildlife professionals.

---

John Moriarty

As Senior Manager of Wildlife at the Three Rivers Park District, John Moriarty has spent years managing wildlife and natural resources in the urban and peri-urban parks of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. He has helped restore over 33,500 acres, and raised over $3.5 million to reconstruct native oak savannah, woodlands, prairie, and wetland landscapes in public ownership. Since the start of his career in wildlife management, Moriarty has developed multiple monitoring programs including annual surveys on species important to park management such as endangered butterfly species, songbirds, waterfowl, swans, reptiles and amphibians, muskrats, turkeys, deer, and others. He has authored or co-authored 63 journal articles and technical reports on a variety of topics, 14 books, 16 book reviews, and other works. Moriarty has been a TWS member since 1980.

---

Michael Wisdom

Michael Wisdom has been a supervisory research wildlife biologist at the Pacific Northwest Research Station of the United States Forest Service for 14 years. Wisdom is an internationally recognized wildlife researcher and expert in ungulate ecology and management. During his career, Wisdom has worked diligently to ensure implementation of his science to the benefit of real-world wildlife conservation and management. He has published more than 160 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters related to wildlife ecology and management, and has led or contributed to over 600 presentations at professional wildlife meetings. Wisdom has been a TWS member since 1978, has served as President-elect and President of the TWS Oregon Chapter and has served as associate editor for The Journal of Wildlife Management.